Business Tip Tuesday - Studying

I am still on that Back- to-School kick, so today's tip is about using this time before the holidays to study.

If you had a shop last year it is a great time to review and make a plan for this year.

How were your sales? - Review last year and set new goals for this holiday.

What worked and what could have worked better? - Review any marketing that you did last year and want to try again. If you did none this is the time to look for venues that will work for your target market this year.

Is your packaging ready? - I have been preparing my packaging now, cutting all my ribbon, putting stickers on my envelopes, my wrap is cut to the size of the box, so it will be a quick and easy process during the holidays.

Like your packaging put things in place to make processing you sales and updating your shop easier. - I have a measurement conversion list in inches and centimeters to easily add measurements to my descriptions (if you ship internationally you should be adding centimeters to your measurements), also a list of descriptive words I can use in descriptions, and a list of blog ideas so I can keep posting on regularly when it gets busy.

Read - This is the time to read up on current trends, study color trends, find new marketing ideas, so you can be prepared for the busy season ahead.

I did not open my shop until late September last year so I spent all my time trying to figure it all out as I go. I hope that some of these ideas can help you be a little more prepared for your holiday season. Even if you did not have a shop last year, you can still use these ideas to get yourself and your shop ready for the busy season ahead.

Do you have some ideas to share so we can be prepared for the holiday season?

Only one more day for my poll, please take a minute and answer the question. Thanks!